My Favorite Breakfast- Root Vegetables and Protein!

Sunday December 5th! My How Time Flies.

8 weeks of working begins with this day. I can not imagine a better position for me at this time in my life, and I am very excited about the preliminary work I have begun. I'll update more when there is more to update.

I hereby switch the focus of my blog back towards Nutrition, this time in practice!

My new living situation has opened my eyes to some very scary facts about my generation. There is a huge disconnect with the kitchen. The kitchen is a place where activities often occur, but rarely cooking. That rare cooking experience is white pasta boiled and covered in commercial tomato sauce. Maybe brownies. Once even some barbecued ribs.
The rest of the meals are invariably ordered from the restaurants in town. Great for the economy, Terrible for their bank accounts and the health of their bodies.

These kids don't know how to cook healthy meals that will satisfy them, and they don't even know how to purchase at the grocery store.

Most of my meals contain almost all of the same ingredients, however, they can be prepared in so many different flavor styles that it can mimic all the classic favorites we grew up on.

I resent recipe-writing because of its limiting factor. My recipes are often open-ended, more suggestions and ideas than a science experiement which should be copied exactly each time.

I base my judgements on my skill as a cook by the amount of food that is eaten, and the positive reaction of my pickiest of advisors.

Seeing as it is Sunday Morning at 9 am, and I am the only one awake, I will talk about Breakfast here, and make it later when I have others to share it with me.

As a veganist (my brand-new made-up word that means, Someone who Believes in Veganism, even if they don't always "follow all the rules") I have found it difficult to satisfy my needs for breakfast on weekdays. 

Weekday mornings I need coffee, extra strong, and something warm and savory that fills me up and makes me feel good. I can't eat sweets in the morning, peanut butter weirds me out until noon, and I need it to be ready quickly and easily. I don't cook before work.

That is why I love Weekends so much. I sleep in just a little, and can take my time to prepare my favorite breakfast just the way I like it.

M y   F a v o r i t e   B r e a k f a s t

The concept here is simple. Root Vegetables Roasted with Protein!

In the house I am always sure to have White Potatoes and Yams. Most of the time breakfast includes both of these chopped into small chunks tossed in oil, salt, pepper, chile powder, old bay, and herbs.
I like lots of pepper, fresh ground. This week I still have some leftover root vegetables from thanksgiving I didn't use up. Golden Beets, Red Beets, Rutabegas, Sunchokes. You can use carrots, parsnips, turnips. Anything you like. The more different kinds you use, the more variety of nutrients.

Into a bowl, while those are roasting, chop up some mushrooms, onions, green peppers if you like, mince some garlic, and throw in some drained, rinsed beans of your choice. My favorite is back beans, or even better a mixture of more than one! I usually will sautee these ingredients to warm them and then throw them on top of the root veggies--once they are cooked through.

How do you know when the root veggies are cooked through? You stick a fork in one and taste it! Figure it out yourself!


ALTERNATIVES!

Sometimes I get really ambitious on Sunday mornings. That's when I whip out my shredder and fill a bowl of shreds of potatoes and yams. I heat up a centimeter of oil in a skillet and use a fork to make mini potato pancakes, about 6 or so in the skillet at a time. Once they are crispy brown on the bottom, I flip them and press them flat. If you try to press the uncooked side, it often sticks to the utensil and makes a mess.

Also, you are supposed to use a towel to press the shreds dry before cooking them. I bet you this would make it go faster, possibly better, but I have to admit...I never remember to do this step and it always tastes good to me anyway.

When I make potato pancakes, I like to cook lentils and mix the other veggies into that. A friend once made this version for me, and now it just seems the right way to eat potato pancakes.

This is also a great meal with scrambled eggs, if you're into that.




If you feed plenty of people each meal, it makes sense to buy packages of mushrooms and whole peppers and onions. But if you are only feeding yourself or one other person, sometimes buying whole vegetables and packages is far too much and produce is left to rot before you eat it.

One trick to combat that is to purchase small amounts of vegetables at a time using the grocery store salad bar. I started doing this to purchase spinach because I never used all the spinach in the pre-filled packages before they went slicky icky black. Weighing next to nothing, I pay far less than the packages.

Hello October

Hello October,
where did you come from!?

Fall has swiftly swooped upon us here, now New England.

The farm life for me has come to an end.

The next chapter has been much deliberated, and recently decided upon.

I now feel ready to update.

In one week I will join my friends in Pennsylvania once again, beginning an exciting new job with a recycled employer.

I will help the food service company at the University in town implement "green" initiatives, and continue my work bringing delicious and nutritious meal options to the student body- however this time from a more administrative standpoint.

I can't wait to see what happens next!

August

5 months down, 3 months to go.

The drought has been in full swing until recently. The past few days have been rather rainy. Believe it or not, I had my first really rainy day where I had to work wet since early spring. Most of the rainstorms have been few and far between, lasting minutes and giving way to hot sunshine drying us off almost immediately. The relief from the humidity as it rains is not held over once the cloud passes however.

The rain is need to refill the irrigation pond, or we may be out of a job sooner.
Cooler temperatures are needed to enable the planting (and success) of the fall lettuces-- or we may be out of a job sooner.
The tomatoes need to avoid the blight and continue producing plenty of fruit...or we may be out a a job sooner. Some of them have begun to die off, while others are still going strong.

Its been most interesting to me to see the different methods of harvesting-- some plants we must wait for much of it to die, dry up and shrivel before we know it is ready to be harvested. The garlic, bulb onions, potatoes and dry bean plants are harvested in this manner.

To harvest potatoes we pull a large shovel behind the tractor that digs a trench, pulling up what's left of the potato plants and releasing the potatoes among the piles of dirt. Then we must sift thoroughly through the fallout to collect them all. If I were to grow potatoes just for myself and family members I would create a 3ft tall loop of chicken wire and secure it into the ground, fill it with topsoil and compost and plant the potatos there-- that way when they are ready for harvest, I could cut the chicken wire loop releasing the dirt into a loose pile where I could easily sift through and collect my potatoes. I wouldn't suggest doing it for market if one did not have a tractor- that's some really back breaking labor.

Really half my job these days is cutting rotten tomatoes and either laying them at the base of the plant for added nutrients or collecting them for composting. Some plants have almost 98% rotten or otherwise unsellable tomatoes.

The saddest part of my job is how much we sacrifice to the compost pile that could have been given away to food shelters--split tomatoes, soft squash, onions with only the outer layer gone "bad". None of which are bad in any real sense of the word- only that no one will buy them at the market.

The health liability issues are much too complex and expensive. I want to get involved in fixing this problem in the future. This is the second job I have had involving serious waste problems that have not been properly addressed. I know it is a terrible nationwide tragedy.

This winter I plan on moving back in with mom and pops, saving up money for grad shcool and volunteering at food shelters in Hartford. Maybe then I will be able to get some new insights into the issues involved with that sector of social services.


Wish us luck on the rainfall and temperature.I miss you all and can't wait to hear from you about how things are on your side of the fence. Take care!!

Mid Summer Update

July 13

Mid-Summer

Well it has been 4 months into the Summer of Vegetables. 4 more to go until the Winter of Unknown Changes. Over 100 emails have been sent to farms in the Central and North West Coastal Region. Half of the responses so far are MAILER-DAEMON rejections, so a round 2 of snail mail resumes will be heading out soon.

This summer has been so instructional in a hugely comprehensive way. I've been able to see positives and negatives, problems and solutions from turning grass field into farm rows; greenhouse usage including timing of plantings and transplantings; mechanized equipment versus manual labor; market business model versus self-sustaining production versus value-added production. I've seen a hugely diverse small-scale operation and made preliminary judgments about what works well and what's not really worth it. 

I've seen the overwhelming complexity of governmental regulations, insurance, licensing, taxation. The business side of farming is something of which I have been made hugely aware-- I am not prepared for it. 

So the question-- what's the next step?

One thing I am extremely interested in learning more about is Sustainable Architecture; and more specifically Recycled Homes, Green Roofing, Sustainable Energy, Water Catchment and Greywater Systems.

I am also very interested in getting some experience in a wide range of Culinary and Medicinal Herbs, and also Edible Mushroom Cultivation. These are two major interests of mine of which I have been able to gather only the most basic of knowledge here. 

Hopefully some of the emails I have sent out will enable me to find another farm, where I can live on-site- rent paid in labor, and receive some amount of stipend for food, gas, savings, and if possible the chance to get hands-on experience building sustainable housing.

Here on the farm July has been a hot, humid and happy month so far. After the hottest June on record we started July with a week of mid-80's temperatures and low-humidity. I made sure to appreciate and be grateful for each day of that week because I knew that such perfect weather could not possibly last. Sure enough we experienced a week of the hottest temperatures surely I have ever experienced fully. 8.5 hours daily working outside in 95 degrees by noon, peaks hitting 103 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Significantly, this experience brought home to me that the record of daily temperature is always read IN THE SHADE. So actual temperature in direct sunlight, and even worse- asphalt- are always going to be much hotter. Inside the greenhouse I saw the thermometer go upwards of 130 degrees Fahrenheit. 

As I am writing this, in the nearby town's coffeeshop, it is a cool, rainy evening. The past several days have been slightly less hot, rather more humid, and we've been getting a few good rainstorms passing through. It had been about 21 days since the last really good rainfall. Local fruit orchardists were worried about having any fruit in the fall, having sunk their 17-acre irrigation lake 9 full feet. Our spring-fed pond was down a good 1.5 ft. 

Lack of rain didn't kill much here, only succeeded in slowing growth down to a crawl. Amazingly, the tomatoes are still only beginning to ripen. We walk swiftly up the rows of tomatoes, crouched over peering among the bottom-most branches for the slightest hint of color. Big bug-bitten ones get snipped and dropped on the ground--recycle nutrients and free-up more energy to mature the as yet still pretty ones. I tell you, I have come down with a bad case of Tomato-Love. Its the phenomenon common to those with close experience with so many gorgeous tomato specimens. There are bright reds, deep reds, orange-reds, deep yellows, pinks, purples, browns. Sometimes it is difficult to control my urges to just bite into and start eating many numbers of these meaty beasts. The creamy opaque yellow that is Yellow Pear is my favorite. Mild and Savory, they have no sourness or spicy bite. They are juicy, but great texture. 

The peaches have ripened! Only they are about 1/3 smaller than normal and are just adorable. The lack of rain is the assumed culprit. They are delicious though. 

I feel very comfortable here now. Even knowing that I'm leaving, it feels like home for now. I absolutely love the blue ridge mountains in my peripheral vision most of the day. My favorite part of the day is when we drive the pickup back from the fields to the washroom with harvest. I sit on the lip of the bed and ride with my feet inches about the gravel road. I feel like every kid who has ever worked on a farm. I feel like I am in the exact right place at that time. 

I hope all of you are doing well and imagining your next dreams. Till we meet again!!!!!!

Mid- April to Mid-June! Summer Weather begins!

Mid-June!

It's been awhile since I've updated. Time flies when you work 50+ hours a week. It's funny to notice how the internet was such a big priority to me when we first moved here, being so used to access to it 24 hours a day, but now the 6.5 mile drive to the nearby town with internet access has become a chore. Now I do it only to go to the grocery store and rarely award the time it takes to use the internet.

The farm is bustling! All of our markets have begun- there are 4 total. We harvest Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. We get Sunday off usually, or with just a few hours work. We've started working at 7am and usually get off between 5 and 6 pm. I'm usually in bed by 930pm, so there's very little time available for "extra" activities once you subtract time for making dinner.

Despite this I have splurged 100 bucks to use a ceramics studio just up the road from where I'm living. I get 3 hours every Tuesday and Wednesday to throw on the wheel and get free access to glazes and someone to fire all the pieces I can throw. I've made 5 large pieces so far, and hopefully can find a venue to sell them. There are actually a couple of new art galleries nearby. Granted, I have never approached a gallery before and have no clue "how" to go about it. I have a feeling they will want nothing to do with me, but we'll see.

But back to the farm! The broccoli and cauliflower are the most recent ripeners. The unusually hot weather has made them all ripen at the same time, within 5 days of each other, so we had to harvest them all very quickly and store them in the walk-in cooler. Unfortunately a mold infiltrated much of the broccoli and some of the cauliflower before we could sell them. They also haven't sold as well as we'd hoped because they are a variety that is light green in color and most people at the markets are so used to GMO grocery store broccoli that is perfect and dark green that they all think it is underripe or somehow not good. Too bad for them! I had never tasted fresh broccoli straight from the plant, and it blew me away! Tender like lightly steamed broccoli and sweet, with just a hint of peppery flavor in the after-taste.  The cauliflower too! I was never a big fan of the grocery store versions- bland and hard. Fresh cauliflower is the most brilliant flavorful and tender vegetable. Last night I made a vegan lasagna with loads of cauliflower in it along with red and green cabbage, shallots and spinach. I was the best lasagna I have ever tasted, and I owe it all to the  beauty of fresh, homegrown vegetables.

In other news, The tomatoes are all planted and twined. Since tomatoes are a vine plant, they can grow up to 6 or 7 feet high. If you do not trellis them properly they will not produce as much fruit, and more will rot. So I have tied miles (litterally, like 6 miles) of strong plastic string around big metal posts to enable these vines to grow to their full potential. The very beginning of orange and red color are starting to show, and I have tasted 3 ripe cherry tomatoes. Omigosh. I am incapable of expressing the deliciousness. You'll have to use your imagination.

Much of the lettuces have started to go out of season. The heat has "bolted" the red lettuce. That's just a weird term that means it has gone to seed. This makes many vegetables turn bitter. I mean really bitter. Sam described the taste as chewing on an aspirin. I declined to taste. The green lettuces are still performing well, although after the many repeated harvestings they produce much less quickly and much smaller leaves.

The arugula and mizuna - peppery flavored lettuces, have also bolted. This makes them taste even more spicy. It also makes them very time consuming to harvest. Instead of taking a knife and slicing many leaves and once, we have to hand pick good leaves. To me, it seems not really worth the effort, but maybe I am a little biased. I don't enjoy the flavor or arugula by itself, although I think its great in a mixed greens.

The mustard leaves have bolted, sending up very pretty yellow flowers. The most surprising thing I have learned is that the flowers are edible, and delicious! I highly suggest people start growing their own mustard leaves. They add great flavour to a mixed green salad, and the flowers are just a nip spicy, but not too much!  am a huge new fan.

There is so much else still growing. Tomatillos, broccoli raab, okra, fresh and dry beans, potatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, artichokes, beets, rhubard, horseradish.

The berry brambles are just ripening, the cherry trees have delicious sour cherries. The snap peas are more sweet and crunchy and juicy than any I've tasted in a store.

Although the work is often hard- the heat really gets to me and the gnats are vicious, they bite in hordes and even draw blood- it is so rewarding. I am learning so much, and daily am more reassured that I want to do this. I don't know how I will ever be able to save enough money to start out on my own- working in agriculture you are not required by law to pay minimum wage, but you still pay taxes of course. And the taxes, insurance and inspections required to be a market grower are intimidated, complicated, and seem to be designed to push small farmers out of business. But still, my dream lives on.

I still miss every one of my friends. I wish I had more time to invite people to visit! But I am grateful every day for the natural beauty that surrounds me, my friends and family, and my darling kittens. I cannot imagine being here without them.

I hope all is well with all of you and I hope you will keep me updated on your lives! Think of me on hot days, and pray for rain being sent my way. Peace and Love Always

Farm Blog: Mid-March through Mid-April

Due to many requests, as well as my own desire to keep notes on all that I am learning here at the farm- this blog will branch off from nutrition and health for awhile to focus on my new obsession.

It's been 5 weeks at the farm. March seemed to last much longer than the first 18 days of April have. As the days have warmed and gotten longer they have somehow seemed to fly by faster.

Growing things has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever put my effort towards. The excitement I get from seeing the baby plants I transferred from seed tray to field row growing big and strong and healthy must be much like internal joy that parents feel towards their children. Every weed and pest is a most hated enemy. The indignation and anger I feel at seeing weeds taking over a row of newly planted veggies could rival a policeperson's anger at gangs of hoodlums taking over the streets of their cities. When I kill a bug or weed I make sure they are truly dead, that no roots are left behind lest they should survive and multiply. I feel urges to check for weeds, bugs, and rodents even on my free time- because this has become more than just a job. I imagine these feelings must grow exponentially when the land is actually yours. This must be why my boss and his wife work 7 days a week, start before I do in the mornings and end after I do in the evenings. This is more than a job for them too.

So far on the farm-- if I can remember such a large array of plants-- Field 1: butterball potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, red and green cabbage, kales, spinaches, red and green lettuces including jericho, simpson, antago, outredgeous and more, red, yellow, and orange carrots, garlic, leeks, scallions, chives, red and white bunching onions, red and white spring onions, red and white bulb onions of 7 different kinds (did you even know there were more than 2 kinds of bulb onions? I didn't), peas, and radishes.

Field 2: (just begun) beets, red and green lettuces, broccoli raab, butterball potatoes, purple potatoes, red potatoes, canela russet potatoes.

Field 3: (perennial field- means these plants will last through many winters) purple and green asparagus, rhubarb, horseradish.

Field 4: (just begun) some kind of flower bulbs, scallions, collards

Field 5: (just begun) all the potatoes

In the big greenhouse the herbs are potted for single live sale. They are getting huge and beautiful! Thai basil, Italian basil, purple basil, dill, cilantro, parsley, thyme. 

Rosemary has been planted but, strangely, it takes 20-90 days to germinate and even then only about 10% will actually germinate. That is a crushingly low number over a crushingly long time. Usually people use cuttings to propagate more rosemary. I am sure that Nancy will use this method for future rosemary yields.

The tomatoes and peppers of such wide variety I could hardly name a few are growing well in the greenhouse, lots of flowers, and other things are working their way upwards including eggplants, and okra.

"The orchard" which really consists of a few sections that look like orchard space and many other trees spread all over the property includes plums, peaches, apples, pears, and walnuts. Did you know that walnut trees take 10 years before producing nuts and also send out a chemical that inhibits other plants from doing well nearby. Good for the walnut tree (it takes a lot of nutrients and energy to produce the protein packed nuts) but bad for anything else nearby-- so if you plan on planting some walnuts, make sure you plan appropriately.

The berry bushes are also propagated by cuttings. Nancy does it the way they do it in the wild-- as a bramble (branch) grows very long it begins to arch over and eventually may touch the ground. By burying it into the ground it will begin to take root and you may then cut it from the main plant. Pretty cool. They will start producing berries soon and they will ripen towards June. I can't wait to start sending them away to be eaten!

Nancy will be canning preserves and I will be helping her, so I am really excited to learn how. I know I could learn by reading a book, but I learn so much faster when I can watch someone else actually do it. 

The best part of being here on the farm, other than the beautiful scenery which fills me with joie de vivre every day, is the pedagogy of my boss. That's a fancy word to say that they are both really good teachers. They know so much about so much and are so interesting to talk to. I ask a lot of questions and they always have the answers and much much more. 

They understand that I may not be trying to be a farmer for money. What I really want is to buy land and to create a subsistence farm-- meaning I try to grow  everything I need/want to survive. They give me tips that are geared towards that idea even though that's not exactly the way they've been going about things.

Good advice: 

Find good soil- have your land thoroughly evaluated.

Water source nearby like a pond is key to cheaper irrigation.

Lots of yearly rainfall? Have sloping hills, it will drain faster. Invest in rain cachement.

Southern facing fields means longest sun exposure. 

Plant your nut and fruit trees first-- fruit trees take on average 7-8 years to produce. 

You'll have to till your land to turn up all the hidden rocks-- they will interrupt good root growth and you want them out of there. In the winter till everything under again-- all the "leftovers"-- you'll want them to rot in the ground and contribute nutrients and enhance your topsoil.

Invest in Beehives. These little guys are so crucial to pollinating our plants you don't even need to get them for the honey. If you do want to take their honey you will need to feed them. Local honey is good for allergies. 

Invest in building a greenhouse. You want this. You can start earlier in the year by getting everything started ahead of time so when the temperature is right you can transplant toddler plants instead of just starting from seed. You could potentially even grow things all winter long if you do it right.

Save your vegan food scraps! This means no animal products in the compost. Eggshells are okay but its better if you raised the chickens yourself, free-range. Also include leaves, sticks, and other organic matter. There are a million different ways to have a compost from small to large scale. The huge piles at this farm are turned occasionally by the tractor. Eventually this will turn into delicious smelling nutrient rich dirt. It also gives off a huge amount of heat--weird!!

Every plant has its own particularities. Some early crops  can handle a frost or two, some can handle an all out freeze. Some plants can handle a lot of rain, some will die if the roots soak too long. Some plants- like spinach- must be planted perfectly level with the ground, Cucumbers must be mounded up. Potato plants must occasionally be half buried by soil in order for them to produce more potatoes. Radishes are often planted by other plants like peas and lettuces because the bugs love radish leaves and leave the other plants alone. Parsnip leaves can give you a poison ivy-type skin rash. Rhubarb leaves are poisonous! You must not pick asparagus the first year. Marigolds ward of pests. Blood meal wards off rabbits and deer. Artichokes are a type of thistle, another type of thistle is a horrible weed which there are laws we must not let them spread--you could lost your agricultural license! You can get your artichokes to produce in their first year if you keep them in a fridge at night-- 500 hours worth. Who knew?

As for us-- the kittens have adjusted so well. They are finally perfectly at home in and out of the house. They kill mice and moles and they follow us to work sometimes. It's been so wonderful to wake up and know that your commute is a 15 second walk to the driveway. I miss my friends back at the place I called home for 3 and a half years. But I could not regret moving here. I don't believe I will stay here after the season is over. I have too many other things I want to learn and try. 

For anyone who has been considering leaving their current sub/urban lifestyle for a more natural life-- I support you!!  There is SO MUCH out there. I was blown away at all the opportunities for farm work on the internet. It has been very hard labor sometimes. I have had muscles sore and skin scraped and I seriously cannot get the dirt off of my hands completely. I have been exhausted when I come home and I have been grumpy when its been really cold, windy, and rainy all at once. I have had a few ticks on me and one I found in my bed. But I am so thankful for all of these experiences, especially the positive ones. 

Next stop, harvesting! Stay tuned.

The Future is Bright!

Lifestyle Changes That Will Keep You Alive

Lifestyle Changes That Will Keep You Alive

Posted by: Dr. Mercola 

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/01/23/Lifestyle-Changes-That-Will-Keep-You-Alive.aspx

January 23 2010

Americans spend billions every year on a dizzying array of health schemes. But some of the best approaches to health care are cheap and within your grasp, if only you can find the will to make some lifestyle changes.

1. Experience the benefits of sex

Sex has many apparent health benefits. Studies suggest sex can boost your immune system and reduce stress.

2. Keep your teeth clean

Diabetes, low birth weight babies and heart disease have all been linked to gum and bone disease in your mouth. Even heart attacks have been linked to bad dental hygiene.

3. Use the sun

A little sunshine is good for your mood and allows your body to produce necessary vitamin D, which is lacking in some 70 percent of American kids these days. 15-20 minutes a day is all you need to convert the sun's energy into an appropriate amount of Vitamin D.

4. Drink less

After years of hearing that moderate drinking is good for your health, a study in November, 2009 found that having a drink or two each day might be something that healthy people do, rather than the drinks being the cause of their good health. And if you're having more than a couple drinks a day, then you're at higher risk for liver damage and diabetes.

5. Wash your hands

Hand washing remains the best prevention against the flu and many other diseases.

6. Get some rest

Serious lack of sleep -- less than six or seven hours a night -- has been associated with increased risks of high blood pressure, hypertension, obesity, diabetes and cancer. Lack of sleep can also contribute to auto accidents and on-the-job injuries.

7. Stop smoking

About half of all smokers die from smoking, and of these, about half die around age 50 or sooner.

8. Don't stress

Stress kills. It causes deterioration in everything from your gums to yourheart and can make you more susceptible to a range of ills, from colds to cancer.

9. Exercise

Over and over, studies find a host of exercise benefits, not just for your body: It can raise kids' academic performance and stimulate adult brains. Exercise makes bones stronger and alleviates many types of chronic pain. Regular exercise has even been associated with a lower risk of cancer.

10. Eat better

Choose real food instead of sugar laced with traces of real food. Cook at home rather than eating fast food, and use spices, rather than gobs and gobs of oil or sugar, to spice up your meals.

Eye Health

Spinach, Kale and Turnip Greens all contain Lutein--a powerful antioxidant that protects eye health.

You must consume these foods with oil to absorb the Lutein.

Dark Colored Berries
     -European bilberry, blueberries, cranberries, etc.
              These can reverse eye damage and strengthen capillaries which carry nutrients to the eyes


Avoid Trans Fat!!!!!!!!!!!

Complex Carbohydrates

Aim for 2 cups of fruit and 2 cups of vegetables a day.

3g of fiber and 3g of protein per serving

45-65% of energy should come from Good Carbs

Whole Grains: cereal grains containing bran and germ as well as endosperm. Refined grains retain only their endosperm. They contain many antioxidants, phytochemicals, B Vitamins, Vitamin E, magnesium, iron, fiber, and protein. Reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, obesity, lowers cholesterol.

• Amaranth
• Barley(hulled, pearled)
• Brown rice, Wild rice
• Wheat- spelt, emmer, farro, kamut, durum, bulgur, cracked, wheatberries
• Flaxseed
• Millet
• Oats (rolled, groats)
• Quinoa
• Rye
• Buckwheat (groats)
• Corn
• Sorghum 
• Teff
• Triticale 

The most protein is found in oats, quinoa and wild rice

The most fiber is found in Wheatberries, cracked wheat, millet, bulgur and hulled barley

Macronutrient Guidelines

Complex Carbohydrates     45-65% 130g/day
Fat                                     20-35%  65g/day -Unsaturated
Protein                               10-35% 45-50g/day
Fiber                                  20-40g/day

Probiotics Use

Lactobacillus Acidopholus, bifidobacterium bifidum, L. bulgaricus, L. casei, L. plantarum, L. sporgenes, L. brevis, Saccharomyes boulardii, B. Longum, streptococcus thermophilus

When To Use:

candidiasis
prevent food poisoning when travelling
after and during antibiotic use
reduce osteoporosis, high cholesterol, chronic health problems, recurrent infections
Babies-- bifidobacteria infantis

The Power of Affirmations

Say These 10-20 times, 1-2 times a day, I challenge you. See if you could say there is no change.


~I am healthy, relaxed, and free of pain and disease.

~I love myself and I deserve to feel healthy and alive.

~I approve of myself and I am safe to be who I am.

~I am flexible, open, and loving towards myself and the world around me.

~Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better.

~I am in the flow of life, and I am grateful for the gift of being alive.

~In every way, I am healing and able to realize and accept the joy life offers.

~My life is my own and I easily resolve my conflicts.

14 Power Foods!

1) Nutritional Yeast

      1/4 cup mixed into anything from Orange Juice to soups or baked goods contains more Vitamin B1 than 27 lbs. of extra-lean hamburger or 45 slices of B1-enriched bread.
      It also contains more folic acid than 12 cups of green peas. It is equally high in the other B Vitamins as well as being an excellent source of iron, calcium, selenium, and zinc.
      It is an easy way for vegans to ensure their RDA of B12.


2) Broccoli

      Loaded with Vitamin C, beta carotene, fiber, calcium, potassium, and folic acid. It also contains a group of compounds called "indoles" that help prevent cancer.


3) Brown Rice

      Puts "enriched" white rice to shame. 1 cup contains 45 grams of complex carbohydrates and more than 3 grams of fiber. It is also mineral rich--including magnesium, selenium, the B Vitamins, iron and zinc.
      Helps reduce LDL cholesterol with the compound oxyzanol--lowering the risk for developing heart disease.


4) Cantaloupe

      1 cup is low-calorie, low-fat, full of antioxidants Vitamin C and beta carotene.


5) Carrots

      2 carrots contain more tan 24mg of beta carotene, 5 grams of fiber, and some folic acid, Vitamin C, iron, magnesium and selenium.


6) Kidney Beans

      1 cup adds complex carbohydrates, 1/2 the day's need for fiber and folic acid, and ample amounts of iron, calcium, magnesium and zinc.
      Also contains compounds called saponins that lower blood cholesterol--reducing the risk for heart disease.


7) Lentils

      10 grams of fiber, day's need of folic acid, 40% women's/70% men's need of iron, substantial amounts of magnesium, potassium, zinc, Vitamin E, and B Vitamins.


8) Mango

      Full of antioxidants beta carotene, Vitamin C and fiber.


9) Orange Juice

      Vitamin C, folic acid, calcium, magnesium and B Vitamins--helps the body absorb iron.
      Diluted w water is a great way to replenish fluids after a workout.


10) Red Bell Pepper

      9 times the beta carotene and 2 times the Vitamin C of green peppers


11) Spinach

      2 cups = 4 grams of fiber, more than half the day's need for folic acid, calcium equivalent to 1/2 cup of milk, iron, magnesium, potassium, Vitamin C.

    
12) Sweet Potatoes

      More fiber and loads more beta carotene than white or red potatoes. Vitamins C and E and calcium.


13) Wheat Germ

      "Gold Nugget of Nutrition" "Closest thing to Perfect Food"
      1/2 cu = 8g fiber, 25-100% daily need of B vitamins, high in protein, Vitamin E, magnesium, iron, selenium, potassium and zinc.


14) Whole Wheat Bread

      Compared to "enriched" white bread, it has 96% more Vitamin E, 82% more B6, 78% more fiber and magnesium, 72% more chromium, 58% more copper, 52% more zinc, 37% more folic acid.


page 338


All this has been directly quoted from "The Essential Guide to Vitamins and Minerals" written by Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D. and Health Media of America.

Main Causes for the Loss of Vitamin and Mineral Content in Foods

Exposure to Light:

Vitamins A, B2, D, C, E, K and Beta Carotene


Exposure to Prolonged Heat:

Vitamins A, B1, B2, B12, C and Pantothenic Acid


Exposure to Air:

Vitamins A, B12, C, D, E, K, Biotin and Folic Acid


Leaching into Cooking Water:

Vitamins B1, B2, B6, C, Magnesium, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Phosphorus, Potassium


Changes in pH:

Vitamins B1, B2, B12, C and Biotin (alkaline)
Folic Acid and Pantothenic Acid (alkaline or acid)



p 328-329


All this has been directly quoted from "The Essential Guide to Vitamins and Minerals" written by Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D. and Health Media of America.

Preserving Vitamins and Minerals

In general, vitamins and minerals are best preserved by cooking in a minimal amount of water, for a minimal amount of time, with a minimal amount of chopping of the food, and by keeping the cooked food for a minimal amount of time prior to serving and eating.

140*F kills bacteria

Cook frozen vegetables without thawing till just crisp tender.

Prepare and cut vegetables just before serving.

Immediately refrigerate or freeze leftovers

Use leftover liquids from cooking for sauces, soups, stews, or cooking water for cereals, rice, or noodles.

p 328



All this has been directly quoted from "The Essential Guide to Vitamins and Minerals" written by Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D. and Health Media of America.

Moderation and The Dessert Dilemma

The occasional addition of fatty or processed food to an otherwise nutritious diet will not reduce the diet's nutritional quality. Bacon and eggs for breakfast every day is ill advised due to the high amount of fat, cholesterol, nitrites (cancer-causing substances) and low-fiber provided by this meal. However, a breakfast of bacon and eggs once every 3-5 weeks is harmless for most people.

Repeatedly choosing highly processed and refined foods high in fat, salt, sugar, or cholesterol will jeopardize vitamin and mineral intake, and the risk for developing numerous diseases escalates. The diet should be reviewed according to the daily or weekly food intake--not according to each food.

Overemphasis of one group to the exclusion or limitation of another group increases a person's risk for developing deficiencies of vitamins or minerals.   p318



All this has been directly quoted from "The Essential Guide to Vitamins and Minerals" written by Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D. and Health Media of America.

Food Purchasing and Storage

Purchase only the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables that will be eaten within a few days

Store refrigerated foods at less than 40* F, frozen foods at below 0*F, and canned and dry goods in a cool, dry place. Even small fluctuations in temperature can result in considerable loss of vitamin C in frozen foods.

Store canned or frozen foods for no more than 3-5 months, as the vitamin content can decline as much as 75% or more with longer storage times.

Store bulk dried beans and peas, noodles, rice, and flour in dark containers or in the refrigerator to reduce their exposure to UV light, which destroys Vitamin B2 p327


All this has been directly quoted from "The Essential Guide to Vitamins and Minerals" written by Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D. and Health Media of America.

FDA Reference for Daily Intakes

Based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Total Fat                           60g

Saturated Fat                     less than 20g

Cholesterol                        less than 300mg

Protein                              50g

Total Carbohydrate           300g

Fiber                                 25g
Sodium                             2400mg
Potassium                         3500mg
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vitamin A                        5,000IU
Vitamin C                        60mg
Vitamin D                        400IU
Vitamin E                        30IU
Vitamin K                        80 mcg
Folate                               400mcg
Thiamin/Vitamin B1         1.5mg
RiboflavinVitamin B2       1.7 mg
Niacin/Vitamin B3            20mg
Pyridoxine/Vitamin B6     2mg
Cobalamin/Vitamin B12   6mcg
Biotin                               300mcg
Pantothenic Acid              10 mg
Calcium                           1,000mg
Chromium                       120mcg
Chloride                           3400mg
Copper                             2mg
Iodine                              150 mcg
Iron                                  18mg
Magnesium                      400mg
Manganese                       2mg
Molybdenum                   75mcg
Phosphorus                      1,000 mg
Selenium                          70mcg
Zinc                                 15 mg

p 327

All this has been directly quoted from "The Essential Guide to Vitamins and Minerals" written by Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D. and Health Media of America, and also from http://www.netrition.com/rdi_page.html

Importance of Variety

Variety is essential to guarantee adequate intake of the more than 45 essential nutrients, phytochemicals, and possibly as yet unrecognized nutrients and to avoid excessive consumption of potentially toxic compounds found naturally in some foods or unintentionally added during processing or storing.

Eating a variety of foods increases amounts of phytochemicals such as: indoles, bioflavonoids, and carotenoids--nonnutritive substances found in many fruits and vegetables that are associated with protection against cancer and cardiovascular disease. Try to include at least 3 new foods in the diet each week. p 317




All this has been directly quoted from "The Essential Guide to Vitamins and Minerals" written by Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D. and Health Media of America.

Serving Sizes--"Eyes Bigger Than Stomach" Phenomenon

Whole Grains (6-11/day): 1 slice of bread, 1/2 english muffin, hamburger bun, bagel, 1/2 cup cooked grain: oatmeal, brown rice, whole wheat noodles, wheat berries, barley, millet, Quinoa, bulgur wheat

Veggies/Fruit (3-5/2-4/day): At least 1 serving dark green and orange, and at least 1 serving citrus or Vitamin C-packed. 1 piece of fruit or vegetable: medium apple, orange, carrot or tomato, 1 cup raw, 1/2 c cooked, 3/4 c juice

Legumes, Nuts (4-6/day): 1 cup cooked legumes- beans, peas, lentils, 2tbs nut butter

Oils: 1 tbs safflower, corn, canola, vegetable oil--No Palm or Coconut

Fiber: 25-40 grams of minimally processed whole grain, fruits, vegetables and beans/peas is associated with a reduced risk for colon cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, and several intestinal disorders. More than 50 grams a day can cause intestinal upset and is not recommended.
                 6 servings of whole grains an cereals: 13 grams fiber
                 4 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables: 15-23 grams
                 1 serving cooked dried beans and peas: 9 grams

    total: 37-45 grams    p 317




All this has been directly quoted from "The Essential Guide to Vitamins and Minerals" written by Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D. and Health Media of America.

Body Basics

The efficiency of metabolism depends on the constant availability of all nutrients from both the diet and from body storage.  p366

All Calories in the body originate from the diet and are supplied by four sources: protein (4 calories/gram), carbohydrates (4 calories/gram), fat ( 9 calories/gram), and alcohol (7 calories/gram). Vitamins, minerals, and other substances in foods do not supply calories and are not a source of energy.

Basal Metabolism constitutes most of the daily energy requirement. This is what energy is needed to maintain normal body processes, such as the beating of the heart. The average woman requires 1200 to 1400 calories a day. Men require more, as does having more muscle or being taller than average.

Extra calories are used during exercise and for several hours following exercise when basal metabolism increases to repair damaged tissues, build muscle tissue, and return body to pre-existing conditions.

                           Avg. Female   Avg. Male
Basal Metabolism    1200              1620
Physical Activity       600                810
Digestion of food      200                270
Total                          2000             2700   p367-368


Most of the body's work is conducted automatically with no help from the conscious mind. Sometimes, however, higher centers in the brain ignore body needs and it is important to do a routine check of the body's health by "listening" to how the body feels and acts. Paying attention to how the body responds to foods, the environment, other people, and internal processes, such as stress, is useful in determining the body's needs and in designing and individualized lifestyle that promotes optimal health p 374

Even marginal deficiencies of vitamins A, C, magnesium, chromium, zinc, calcium, or other vitamins and minerals have been linked to suppressed immune function and increased risk for infection and disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, depression, and numerous other emotional and physiological disorders...

Benefits of good nutrition include resistance to colds and infections, reduce risk of developing acute or chronic disease, increase resistance to stress or stress-related disorders, maintain maximum energy level, improve the outcome of pregnancy and the health and well-being of the infant, and in regulation of a stable emotional and social life.

Guidelines:

1. Base the days food intake on Food Pyramid

2. Limit fat to no more than 30% of total calories (2000 calorie diet= 67g fat/day) and limit cholesterol to 300mg/day or less.

         **FORMULA: Fat- 30% total calories/day             2,000 x .3 = 600
                                   2,000 calorie diet                            600/9 = 67 g/fat/day
                                   Fat= 9 calories/ 1 gram                                                    p330

3. Increase fiber to 25g daily. Limit processed, refined, or commercial convenience foods that are often high in fat, sugar, salt, cholesterol, or highly processed ingredients.

4. Choose a variety of wholesome, minimally processed, nutritious foods every day.

5. Exercise moderation in food selection, portion size, and all other dietary habits in order to obtain a wide variety of nutrients, avoid excessive intake of harmful substances in foods, and maintain desirable weight.

6. Be patient. Gradually make dietary changes.


The above six guidelines combined with careful selection of fresh and wholesome food and proper preparation methods will help and guarantee consumption of a balanced, vitamin-and-mineral-rich diet that aids in the prevention of disease and premature aging and helps maintain optimal health. p311-312


All this has been directly quoted from "The Essential Guide to Vitamins and Minerals" written by Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D. and Health Media of America.

The Thought

Here I sit on a January Sunday, fresh-out of college, on my own--with lots of support from family and friends, a job I love that inspires me, and a pounding hope for the future. Here I sit wondering what will become of me, what will become of US, as we ride the motion of time along our current course. I shudder when I watch the news, when I listen, feeling always a hard undercurrent of futility or impending doom. I am currently the oldest I have ever been, and with a birthday around the corner--lately, I have been thinking of it more acutely.

I feel just as young and clueless when I think about the world as I did when I was sixteen, perhaps more so. I feel an incredible urge to scream at people, "WAKE UP!!" But I don't because I know how they will respond. I don't exactly know how this could be possible, but I have the continually sinking feeling that Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged is coming to life.

I grew up in some magical fantasy. Fed by stories of American Dreams and tales of Individual Achievements I somehow avoided, until my twenties, many of the stark, hard realities of this world we live in. Now, as a student of history, I look back on the annals of our past, the stories we have passed on, and I see the progression- Like some machine developed by man from the start to run its course to our own destruction.

The way we behave on this planet makes me realize it would be just, for that to be the result.

The thing is, I don't want to die, just like that. I can't give up, as futile, the fight to wake up others, to tell them what I have learned, to beg them to learn the truth about everything. To not give up to others the reins of their own destiny. I can't abandon strangers as robots who will never change, when I know they are human with the capacity to listen, to adapt, to love, and to be forgiven.

I have fought for my voice my whole life. Now at 24, I know finally that My Life is worth fighting for, and No One Else is going to Fight for it For Me. If I want to know the Truth, I've got to go out there and Get It.

I have started this blog to record my research and share with any who wants to learn it.